ScienceDaily (May 26, 2009) - A protein that plays a key role in tumor formation, oxygen metabolism and inflammation is involved in a pathway that extends lifespan by dietary restriction. The finding, which appears in the May 22, 2009 edition of the online journal PLoS Genetics, provides a new understanding of how dietary restriction contributes to longevity and cancer prevention and gives scientists new targets for developing and testing drugs that could extend the healthy years of life.
Neuroprotective effects of berberine on stroke models in vitro and in vivo.
Zhou XQ, Zeng XN, Kong H, Sun XL.
Neurosci Lett. 2008 Dec 5;447(1):31-6. Epub 2008 Sep 30.
PMID: 18838103
doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.09.064
Findings of this study suggest that berberine protects against ischemic brain injury by decreasing the intracellular ROS level and subsequently inhibiting mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.
Berberine reduces the hypoxic-ischemic insult in rat pup brain.
Benaissa F, Mohseni-Rad H, Rahimi-Moghaddam P, Mahmoudian M.
Acta Physiol Hung. 2009 Jun;96(2):213-20.
PMID: 19457765
DOI: 10.1556/APhysiol.96.2009.2.6
Pathologic review of the samples obtained from rats treated with different doses of berberine in comparison with samples from pups treated by normal saline showed that there was a significant reduction of brain injury and edema in the rats treated with berberine. Our study also demonstrates that berberine reduces brain ischemic-hypoxic injury dose-dependently. Therefore, beberine may be considered as useful anti-stroke agent.